Shingle with enhanced bonding

ABSTRACT

A shingle which includes a substrate, granules deposited on the substrate, a first material strip applied to the top of the substrate, a second material strip applied to the bottom of the substrate, and an adhesive applied to the second material strip. The second material strip is positioned along an edge of the substrate such that when a shingle is applied to a roof overlaying an existing shingle, the adhesive adheres the second material strip of the overlaying shingle to the first material strip of the existing shingle. The second material strip is applied to the bottom of the substrate prior particles being applied to the bottom surface of the substrate.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to and all benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/799,103, filed on Jan. 31, 2019, for Shingle With Enhanced Bonding, the entire disclosure of which is fully incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The present invention relates generally to shingles for protecting a roof of a structure, and more particularly, to shingles having improved bonding between an upper and lower shingle.

BACKGROUND

Many structures have pitched, shingled roofs, to prevent water, e.g., rain water, from entering the structures by causing the water to pass over the shingles and shed off the roofs. A pitched, shingled roof has a pitched deck, such as a plurality of plywood sheets, with a plurality of shingles attached thereto.

When viewed individually, each shingle has an upper portion (i.e., a headlap portion) and a lower portion (i.e., an exposure portion) wherein the exposure portion is exposed to the environment. The shingles are typically attached to the deck in rows known as courses wherein the exposure portion of an upper course of shingles overlaps the headlap portion of an adjacent lower course of shingles. For example, a first course of shingles may be attached to the deck nearest the lowest point of the roof, i.e., the eave portion of the roof. A second course of shingles may then be attached to the deck slightly higher on the roof than the first course. The shingles are placed so that the exposure portion of the second course of shingles overlaps the headlap portion of the first course of shingles. This overlapping continues with successive rows of shingles to the highest point on the area of the roof, i.e., the hip or the ridge.

Hip and ridge shingles are applied along a hip or ridge of a roof (i.e., transverse to the courses of shingles). These hip and ridge shingles span a gap or intersection between courses of shingles of roof planes that meet at a hip or ridge. These hip and ridge shingles are typically applied along the hip or ridge in a similar fashion, with the exposure portion of one hip and ridge shingle covering the headlap portion of an adjacent shingle on the hip or ridge. Thus, only the exposure portion of the shingles are exposed to the environment. This overlapping of the shingles causes water to pass from shingles on higher courses to shingles on the next lowest course of shingles without contacting the deck. Accordingly, water passes from shingle to shingle and off the roof without contacting the deck or entering the structure.

Attaching the shingles to the roof is typically achieved using nails, staples, or other fastening devices that pass through the shingles and into or through the deck. The fastening devices are typically placed through the headlap portion of the shingles so that they are overlapped by shingles in an adjacent higher course as described above. This placement of the fasteners prevents water from entering the structure through holes caused by the fasteners.

To secure the lower portion of shingles from a higher course to the headlap portion of shingles in a lower course, an adhesive is provided on the back of the exposed portion that becomes affixed to the headlap portion of the shingles in the course immediately lower (below) the shingle with the adhesive.

SUMMARY

The present application discloses several embodiments of shingles having an adhesive applied to an adhesion promoting substance located on a bottom surface of the shingle. Such an adhesion promoting substance could be a tape, a woven strip, a non-woven strip, fibers, or coatings sprayed or otherwise applied, or similar substances. The adhesion promoting substance will be referred to herein as an adhesion promoting strip, but such a reference should not be construed as limiting the substance to only a strip. In exemplary embodiment a shingle comprises an asphalt coated substrate, a first material strip applied on a top side of the substrate, granules disposed on a top side of the substrate after the first material strip is applied, a second material strip applied on a bottom side of the substrate and adjacent to a first edge, and an adhesive adhered to an exposed face of the second material strip.

In another exemplary embodiment, a shingle comprises an overlay comprising an asphalt coated overlay substrate, a first material strip applied to a top side of the overlay substrate, and granules disposed on a top side of the overlay substrate; and an underlay comprising an asphalt coated underlay substrate, granules disposed on a top side of the underlay substrate, a second material strip applied on a bottom side of the underlay substrate along an edge of the underlay substrate, and an adhesive adhered to the second material strip.

In another exemplary embodiment, a method of stacking shingles comprises placing a first shingle in contact with a second shingle, the first shingle and the second shingle having an upper face coated with granules and a lower face having a first material and a second material, and an adhesive applied to the second material; arranging the first and second shingles such that the first shingle and the second shingle are longitudinally aligned and the first shingle substantially covers the second shingle; orienting the first shingle such that its lower face is in contact with the lower face of the second shingle; and further orienting the first shingle so that its first material is in contact with the adhesive applied to the second material of the second shingle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description and accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a partial side view of a known embodiment of a first shingle which comprises an adhesive on a bottom side of a substrate;

FIG. 2 is a partial side view of the first shingle of FIG. 1 adhered to a second shingle according to a known embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a partial side view of the first and second shingle of FIG. 2 in which the adhesive attachment of the shingles has failed;

FIG. 4 is a partial side view of a known embodiment of a first shingle which comprises a first strip positioned to be adhered to a second shingle which comprises an adhesive applied to its bottom surface;

FIG. 5 is a partial side view of the first and second shingles of FIG. 4 after they have been attached;

FIG. 6 is a partial side view of the first and second shingles of FIG. 5 in which the adhesive attachment of the shingles has failed;

FIG. 7 is a partial side view of a first shingle which comprises a first strip positioned to be adhered to a second shingle which according to an exemplary embodiment comprises an adhesive applied to a second strip which has been applied to a bottom surface of the second shingle;

FIG. 8 is a partial side view of the first and second shingles of FIG. 7 after they have been attached;

FIG. 9 is a partial side view of the first and second shingles of FIG. 8 in which the adhesive attachment of the shingles has failed;

FIG. 10 is a partial side view of a known embodiment of a first shingle which comprises a first strip positioned in contact with a second shingle where an adhesive applied to a bottom surface of the second shingle fails to completely contact the first strip;

FIG. 11 is a partial side view of a first shingle which comprises a first strip positioned to be adhered to a second shingle which according to an exemplary embodiment comprises an adhesive applied to a second strip which has been applied to a bottom surface of the second shingle;

FIG. 12 is a partial side view of a first shingle which comprises a first strip positioned in contact with a second shingle according to an exemplary embodiment where the thickness of a second strip causes an adhesive applied to a bottom surface of the second shingle to contact the first strip;

FIG. 13 is a side elevation view of a shingle structure according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 14 is a top plan view of the shingle of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a bottom plan view of the shingle of FIG. 13;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of first and second shingles corresponding to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 13, wherein the shingles are aligned as they would be prior to installation on a roof;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the first and second shingles of FIG. 16 positioned in contact with each other as installed on a roof;

FIG. 18 is a side elevation view of a shingle according to an alternative exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 19 is a top plan view of the shingle of FIG. 18;

FIG. 20 is a bottom plan view of the shingle of FIG. 18;

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of first and second shingles corresponding to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 18, wherein the shingles are aligned as they would be prior to installation on a roof;

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of the first and second shingles of FIG. 21 positioned in contact with each other as installed on a roof;

FIG. 23 is a side elevation view of a shingle according to an alternative exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 24 is a top plan view of the shingle of FIG. 23;

FIG. 25 is a bottom plan view of the shingle of FIG. 23;

FIG. 26 is a perspective view of first and second shingles corresponding to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 23, wherein the shingles are aligned as they would be prior to installation on a roof;

FIG. 27 is a perspective view of the first and second shingles of FIG. 26 positioned in contact with each other as installed on a roof;

FIG. 28 is a diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a production process which produces shingles according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 29 is a side view of packaged shingles stacked according to known methods;

FIG. 30 is a side view of a known embodiment of a first shingle stacked with a second shingle prior to installation on a roof; and

FIGS. 31A-31C are side views illustrating stacking of shingles according to an exemplary embodiment for shipment and storage prior to installation on a roof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Prior to discussing the various embodiments, a review of the definitions of some exemplary terms used throughout the disclosure is appropriate. Both singular and plural forms of all terms fall within each meaning.

As described herein, when one or more components are described as being connected, joined, affixed, coupled, attached, or otherwise interconnected, such interconnection may be direct as between the components or may be indirect such as through the use of one or more intermediary components. As described herein, reference to a “member,” “component,” or “portion” shall not be limited to a single structural member, component, or element but can include an assembly of components, members or elements. Also, as described herein, the terms “substantially” and “about” are defined as at least close to (and includes) a given value or state (preferably within 10% of, more preferably within 1% of, and most preferably within 0.1% of).

Various shingles are disclosed herein. Certain exemplary embodiments have an overlay substrate which is positioned on an underlay substrate to provide a shingle assembly that appears thicker, may be more durable, and provides a greater architectural appeal. Other exemplary embodiments have a single substrate. These exemplary embodiments are provided with an adhesive that secures a first shingle to a second shingle positioned below the first shingle when installed on a roof structure.

FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of a known shingle 100. As shown, the shingle 100 comprises a substrate 102, an upper coating of asphalt 104 and a lower coating of asphalt 106. A coating of granules 108 is applied to the upper surface of the substrate 102 and the upper coating of asphalt 104. In order to prevent the shingles from adhering to each other during storage as the result of the lower coating of asphalt, a coating of particles 110 is applied to the shingle. This coating of particles 110 is not necessarily for appearance or weather resistance and as a result, this coating is often sand, or other material that may be less costly than the granules 108 applied to the upper surface of the substrate 102 during the manufacturing process.

As illustrated, an adhesive 112 is applied to the lower surface of the shingle and in the illustrated example, becomes attached to the coating of particles 110. FIG. 2 illustrates the shingle 100 of FIG. 1 after it is placed into contact with a second shingle 200. Of particular note, the adhesive 112 is contacting the coating of particles 110 of the first shingle 100 and the granules 208 of the second shingle 200. As was described earlier herein, shingles are subject to environmental conditions including wind. Strong winds may cause the shingle 100 to be pulled away from the second shingle 200 which can result in loosening or loss of shingles from a roof. Such conditions are undesirable and can result in roof leaks.

FIG. 3 illustrates a possible result when known embodiments are subject to strong winds. As illustrated, the first shingle 100 is pulled away from a second shingle 200. In such circumstances, the bond between the granules 208 of the second shingle 200 and the and the upper coating of asphalt 204 may fail, resulting in the upper shingle 100 becoming detached from the lower shingle 200. In the example shingles illustrated by FIGS. 1-3, the failure mode is a portion 302 of the roofing granules delaminating or pulling off of the asphalt coated substrate 304 of the shingle on the lower shingle 200.

FIG. 4 illustrates another example of known shingles in which an upper shingle 402 is in position for application to a lower shingle 404. As illustrated, the upper shingle 402 comprises a substrate 406, a lower coating of asphalt 408, a coating of particles 410 on the lower surface of the upper shingle 402, and an adhesive 412. In the illustrated embodiment, the adhesive 412 is positioned above a nailing reinforcement material 414 that is bonded directly to an upper asphalt coating 416 of the lower shingle 404. FIG. 5 illustrates the upper shingle 402 and lower shingle 404 of FIG. 4 after they have been placed in contact as would be the case if they were installed on a roof surface.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, positioning the upper shingle 402 such that the adhesive 412 becomes adhered to the nailing reinforcement material 414 of the lower shingle 404. This may improve the bond between the adhesive 412 and the lower shingle 404 in some installations. However, as illustrated in FIG. 6, wind or other factors can cause the upper shingle 402 to pull away from the lower shingle 404, resulting in a failure between the lower coating of asphalt 408 and the particles 410 applied to the lower surface of the upper shingle 402. In the example illustrated by FIGS. 4-6, the failure mode is a portion of particles 602 delaminating or pulling off of the lower coating of asphalt 408 of the upper shingle 402.

FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary embodiment in which a bond enhancing material 706 is applied to the lower coating of asphalt 708 of the upper shingle 702.

In some exemplary embodiments, for a large sample (20, 40, 75, 100 or more) of tested shingles, the majority of the debonding failures results from failure of the adhesive material itself. In a minority of the tested shingles, the debonding or failure mode comprises the adhesive delaminating from the reinforcement material 714 or the bond enhancing material 706. In other exemplary embodiments, the majority of the debonding failures is not failure of the adhesive material itself, but the bond strength is increased compared to the bond strength of two shingles with an adhesive that bonds a reinforcement material 714 of one shingle to coating of particles 716 of the other shingle and/or compared to the bond strength of two shingles with an adhesive that bonds granules of one shingle to particles of another shingle.

FIG. 8 illustrates the upper shingle 702 and lower shingle 704 of FIG. 7 bonded together. In this exemplary embodiment the bond between the adhesive 712 and the upper shingle 702 and the lower shingle 704 is enhanced relative to that illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 5. As such, the likely failure mode is that of the adhesive 712 itself as illustrated in FIG. 9. That is, the bonds between the adhesive 712 and the bond enhancing material 706 and between the adhesive 712 and the reinforcement material 714 can be stronger than the adhesive material itself. As such, the bond between the upper shingle 702 and the lower shingle 704 predominantly fails only when the adhesive material itself fails. In one exemplary embodiment, a bond strength between an upper shingle 702 and a lower shingle 704 that are bonded together by an adhesive 712 that bonds to the bond enhancing material 706 of the upper shingle 702 and a reinforcement material 714 of the lower shingle 704 greater than bonds formed without the bond enhancing material. For example, testing has returned bond strengths that are approximately 30% greater than the bond strength between two shingles that are bonded together by an adhesive that bonds to the granules of one shingle and to the particles (often referred to as “backdust”) of another shingle.

As shown in the known example of FIG. 10, an adhesive 1012 of an upper shingle 1002 can fail to contact the nailing reinforcement material 1008 of a lower shingle 1004. This may occur as the result of a thicker than expected particle coating 1006 on the lower surface of an upper shingle 1002, a thicker than expected granule coating 1010 on the upper surface of a lower shingle 1004, a thinner application of adhesive 1012, etc. As was disclosed in FIGS. 7-9, a bond enhancing material 706 may be used to improve the bond between an upper shingle 1002 and a lower shingle 1004. A similar bond enhancing material may be used to overcome the problem illustrated in FIG. 10.

FIG. 11 illustrates a bond enhancing material 1106 is adapted to be thick enough to overcome a gap between an adhesive 1012 and nailing reinforcement material 1008 that may be caused by particle thickness 1108 or other variables in the structure of an upper shingle 1102 and a lower shingle 1104. In one exemplary embodiment, the bond enhancing material 1106 can be thicker than the nailing reinforcement material 1008. In other words, sized to protrude past the surface formed by the particles and/or as thick or thicker than the depth of a depression created by the nailing reinforcement material 1008 when granules 1110 are not applied in the area of nailing the reinforcement material 1008.

FIG. 12 illustrates the upper shingle 1102 and lower shingle 1104 after these two shingles are brought into contact with each other as would be the case when installed on a roof. As is illustrated, the bond enhancing material 1106 causes the adhesive 1012 to protrude such that it comes into contact with the nailing reinforcement material 1008 and thus securely bond the upper shingle 1102 with the lower shingle 1104.

FIG. 13 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a shingle 1300. The illustrated shingle 1300 has an overlay substrate 1302 and an underlay substrate 1304. The exemplary embodiment of the shingle 1300 also comprises a release material 1306, such as a tape or a coating. This release material 1306 is intended to prevent an adhesive 1312 applied to the shingle 1300 from adhering to other shingles (not illustrated) when packaged in bundles for shipment and storage. In order to provide a more secure attachment to the roof, a nailing reinforcement material 1308, which can be a tape, woven strip, non-woven strip, fibers, or a coating, is applied to the top side of the overlay substrate 1302. In addition to reinforcing the nail zone, the reinforcing material can also enhance adhesion of the adhesive 1312 to the shingle as was described in the discussion of the previous figures. In exemplary embodiments, an adhesion enhancing material 1310, which can be a tape, woven strip, non-woven strip, fibers, such as glass fibers or a coating is applied to the bottom side of the underlay substrate 1304. In exemplary embodiments in which the adhesion enhancing material 1310 comprises glass fibers, the glass fibers can be provided in the form of a glass mat or tape, such as a porous glass mat or tape.

The adhesion enhancing material 1310 can be the same width as the nailing reinforcement material 1308, narrower than the nailing reinforcement material 1308, or wider than the nailing reinforcement material 1308. In certain exemplary embodiments, the adhesive 1312 is disposed on the adhesion enhancing material 1310 and the adhesion enhancing material 1310 is the same width or wider than the nailing reinforcement material 1308. In certain exemplary embodiments, the adhesive 1312 is disposed on the nailing reinforcement material 1308 and the adhesion enhancing material 1310 is the same width or narrower than the nailing reinforcement material 1308. In certain exemplary embodiments, the nailing reinforcement material 1308 and/or the adhesion enhancing material 1310 are is between 0.25 inches wide and 2.0 inches wide, such as about 0.5 inches wide, about 0.75 inches wide, about 1.0 inches wide, about 1.25 inches wide, or about 1.50 inches wide.

The adhesive 1312 can be applied to the adhesion enhancing material 1310 and/or the nailing reinforcement material 1308. Note that shingles 1300 generally have a layer of granules disposed on the top surface of the substrates 1302 and 1304 and a layer of particles or other material disposed on a back side of the shingle. These granules and particles are not shown in FIGS. 13-27 and 29-31 so as to clearly illustrate the various adhesion promoting materials applied to the shingle (i.e., 1310) as discussed above and elsewhere herein.

In exemplary embodiments, the adhesion enhancing material 1310 may be formed from materials selected from a list comprising: polyester, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyamide, polystyrene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyacrylonitrile, and aramid. Any synthetic polymer or other material or combination of materials that increases adhesion with the adhesive 1312 and/or the asphalt coating of the shingle can be used. Any of these materials can be applied as a mat or tape, a powder, as a suspension in water or another carrier sprayed on or roll coated onto the shingle.

In one exemplary embodiment, the adhesion enhancing material 1310 is formed simply by spraying the asphalt coated substrate 1304 with pure water prior to the application of particles to the lower surface of the substrate 1304. This water would prevent the particles from sticking to the sprayed (or otherwise applied) area. As a result, the adhesion enhancing material 1310 comprises the coating asphalt itself, without granules on the asphalt.

FIG. 14 illustrates a top-view of the shingle 1300 according to an exemplary embodiment. As shown, a nailing reinforcement material 1308 is applied to the overlay substrate 1302. Also illustrated is the underlay substrate 1304 visible through decorative openings 1314 formed in the overlay substrate 1302. The position of the nailing reinforcement material 1308 is such that is located along that portion of the shingle 1300 to which nails, staples, or other fasteners are applied in order to affix the shingle 1300 to a roof structure.

FIG. 15 illustrates a bottom-view of the shingle 1300 of FIG. 13. Illustrated in the Figure is the release material 1306, applied to the overlay substrate 1302. As shown, the underlay substrate 1304 overlaps a portion of the overlay substrate 1302. an adhesion enhancing material 1310 is applied along an edge 1316 of the shingle 1300. Adhesive 1312 is applied to the adhesion enhancing material 1310. As can be seen, the adhesive 1312 is applied along the length of the adhesion enhancing material 1310. The illustrated embodiment shows a series of adhesive 1312 portions. Alternatively, the amount of adhesive 1312 applied could be a continuous application along all or a portion of the adhesion enhancing material 1310.

FIG. 16 illustrates a partial roof portion showing an upper shingle 1602 and a lower shingle 1604 where the upper shingle 1602 has not been applied to the lower shingle 1604. As shown, the illustrated shingles are formed from an overlay substrate 1606 and an underlay substrate 1608, for example, in the manner described above in FIG. 13. for ease of explanation, it should be understood that in most cases the upper shingle 1602 and the lower shingle 1604 would be identical and thus, common identifiers are used for the components of each except where required to reference a particular shingle. The raised portions 1610 on either side of the first nailing reinforcement material 1612 and the second nailing reinforcement material 1612A represent the thickening effect that the applied granules have on the overlay substrate 1606 of the shingles.

In certain exemplary embodiments, the nailing reinforcement material 1612 and 1612A includes an upper surface to which granules substantially will not adhere, thus resulting in the area of the nailing reinforcement material 1612 and 1612A not being coated with granules as the result of the manufacturing process. Also illustrated is a first adhesion promoting material 1614 and a second adhesion promoting material 1614A and a first adhesive 1616 and a second adhesive 1616A.

FIG. 17 illustrates the upper shingle 1602 and the lower shingle 1604 of FIG. 16 after the upper shingle 1602 is placed in contact with the lower shingle 1604. In an actual installation, nails, staples, or other fasteners would be applied through the first nailing reinforcement material 1612 to secure the shingles to the roof surface. However, these are not illustrated in FIG. 17 for sake of clarity. As illustrated, the first adhesive 1616 of the upper shingle 1602 is aligned with and comes into contact with the second nailing reinforcement material 1612A.

As has been noted elsewhere herein, shingles can take a plurality of construction forms. One other such construction form is illustrated in the shingle 1800 of FIG. 18. As shown, a single substrate 1802 is used in this type of embodiment. The illustrated shingle 1800 comprises a release material 1806, a nailing reinforcement material 1808 is applied to the top surface of the substrate 1802. An adhesion promoting material 1810 is applied to the bottom surface of the substrate 1802 along an edge 1814 of the substrate and an adhesive 1812 is applied to the adhesion promoting material 1810. FIG. 19 is a top view of a shingle 1800 similar or the same in construction to that of FIG. 18. A nailing reinforcement material 1808 is applied to the shingle 1800 in an area in which nails, staples, or other fasteners are applied to affix the shingle 1800 to a roof.

FIG. 20 illustrates a bottom-view of a shingle 1800 similar or the same in construction to that of FIG. 18. Illustrated in the Figure is a release material 1806, applied to the substrate 1802. An adhesion promoting material 1810 is applied along an edge 1814 of the shingle 1800. An adhesive 1812 is applied to the adhesion promoting material 1810. As can be seen, the adhesive 1812 is applied along the length of the adhesion promoting material 1810. The illustrated embodiment shows a series of adhesive 1812 portions. Alternatively, the amount of adhesive 1812 applied could be a continuous application along all or a portion of the adhesion promoting material 1810.

FIG. 21 illustrates a partial roof portion showing an upper shingle 2102 and a lower shingle 2104 similar or the same in construction to that of FIG. 18. As shown, the upper shingle 2102 has not been applied to the lower shingle 2104. In contrast to FIG. 16, the illustrated shingles are a single-layer shingle (that is, have only a single layer of substrate). In certain exemplary embodiments, the nailing reinforcement material 2108 includes an upper surface to which granules substantially will not adhere, thus resulting in the area of the nailing reinforcement material 2108 not being coated with granules as the result of the manufacturing process. Also illustrated is a first adhesion promoting material 2110 and a second adhesion promoting material 2110A and a first adhesive 2112 and a second adhesive 2112A. Also visible is the release material 2106 on the lower surface of the upper shingle 2102 and lower shingle 2104.

FIG. 22 illustrates the upper shingle 2102 and the lower shingle 2104 of FIG. 21 after the upper shingle 2102 is placed in contact with the lower shingle 2104. In an actual installation, nails, staples, or other fasteners would be applied through the nailing reinforcement material 2108 to secure the shingles to the roof surface however, these are not illustrated in FIG. 22 for sake of clarity. As illustrated, the first adhesive 2112 of the upper shingle 2102 is aligned with and comes into contact with the second nailing reinforcement material 2108A.

FIG. 23 illustrates another exemplary embodiment of a shingle 2300. In the example illustrated by FIG. 23, the adhesive 2312 is applied to the top surface of the shingle 2300. The adhesive 2312 can be applied to the top surface of the shingle in any of the embodiments disclosed herein. In the example illustrated by FIG. 23, the adhesive 2312 is applied to the nailing reinforcement material 2308. The adhesive 2312 can be applied to the nailing reinforcement material 2308 and/or the adhesion promoting material 2310 in any of the embodiments disclosed herein. Further, the nailing reinforcement material 2308 can be omitted in any of the embodiments disclosed herein and the adhesive 2312 can be applied to the top and/or of the bottom of the shingle 2300.

As shown in FIG. 23, a single substrate 2302 is used in this type of embodiment. The illustrated shingle 2300 comprises a release material 2306, a nailing reinforcement material 2308 is applied to the top surface of the substrate 2302. An adhesion promoting material 2310 is applied to the bottom surface of the substrate 2302 along an edge 2314 of the substrate. An adhesive 2312 is applied to the nailing reinforcement material 2308. FIG. 24 shows a top view of the shingle 2300 of FIG. 23. Visible is the nailing reinforcement material 2308 and the adhesive 2312. FIG. 25 is a bottom view of the shingle 2300 of FIG. 23. Visible is the release material 2306 and the adhesion promoting material 2310 positioned along the edge 2314 of the substrate 2302.

FIG. 26 illustrates a partial roof portion showing an upper shingle 2302 and a lower shingle 2303 similar or the same in construction to that of FIG. 23. As shown, the upper shingle 2302 has not been applied to the lower shingle 2303. In certain exemplary embodiments, the nailing reinforcement material 2308 includes an upper surface to which granules substantially will not adhere, thus resulting in the area of the nailing reinforcement material 2308 not being coated with granules as the result of the manufacturing process. Illustrated is a first adhesion promoting material 2310 and a second adhesion promoting material 2310A. A first adhesive 2312 and a second adhesive 2312A. Also visible is the release material 2306 on the lower surface of the upper shingle 2302 and the release material 2306A on the lower shingle 2303.

FIG. 27 illustrates the upper shingle 2302 and the lower shingle 2303 of FIG. 26 after the upper shingle 2302 is placed in contact with the lower shingle 2303. In an actual installation, nails, staples, or other fasteners would be applied through the nailing reinforcement material 2308 to secure the shingles to the roof surface however, these are not illustrated in FIG. 27 for sake of clarity. As illustrated, the second adhesive 2312A, located on the lower shingle 2303 is aligned with and comes into contact with the adhesion promoting material 2310 located on the bottom of the upper shingle 2303. As with the other exemplary embodiments, thus contact between the second adhesive 2312A and the first adhesion promoting material 2310 results in improved resistance to high winds.

FIG. 28 illustrates an exemplary apparatus 10 that may be used to fabricate shingles according to exemplary embodiments described herein. In the illustrated embodiment, the fabrication process involves passing a continuous sheet of substrate 12 in a machine direction (indicated by the arrows) through a series of manufacturing operations.

In a first step of the illustrated fabrication process, a continuous sheet of substrate 12 is removed from a roll 14. The substrate 12 can be any type known for use in reinforcing asphalt-based roofing materials, such as a non-woven web of glass fibers. The substrate 12 may be fed through a coater 16 where an asphalt coating is applied to the substrate 12. The asphalt coating can be applied in any suitable manner. In the illustrated embodiment, the substrate 12 contacts a roller 17, which is in contact with a supply of hot, melted asphalt. The roller 17 completely covers the substrate 12 with a tacky coating of hot, melted asphalt to define a first asphalt coated substrate 18. In other embodiments, however, the asphalt coating could be sprayed on, rolled on, or applied to the substrate by other means. A continuous strip of a nailing reinforcement material 19, is removed from a roll 20. The nailing reinforcement material 19 is adhered to the first asphalt coated substrate 18 to define a second asphalt coated substrate 22. In some exemplary embodiments, the nailing reinforcement material 19 is attached to the first asphalt coated substrate 18 by the adhesive mixture of the asphalt in the first asphalt coated substrate 18. The nailing reinforcement material 19, however, may be attached to the first asphalt coated substrate 18 by any suitable means, such as other adhesives.

The resulting second asphalt coated substrate 22 may then be passed beneath a series of granule dispensers 24 for the application of granules to the upper surface of the second asphalt coated substrate 22. The granule dispensers can be of any type suitable for depositing granules onto the asphalt coated substrate. An example of a granule dispenser that can be used is a granule valve of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,610,147 to Aschenbeck.

As shown in the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 28, the series of dispensers 24 may include four color blend blenders 26, 28, 30, and 32. Any desired number of blenders, however, can be used. The final blender may be the background blender 34. Each of the blenders may be supplied with granules from sources of granules, not shown. After the blend drops are deposited on the second asphalt coated substrate 22, the remaining, uncovered areas are still tacky with warm, uncovered asphalt, and the background granules from the background blender 34 will adhere to the areas that are not already covered with blend drop granules. After all the granules are deposited on the second asphalt coated substrate 22 by the series of dispensers 24, the second asphalt coated substrate 22 thus becomes a granule covered substrate 40.

The granule covered substrate 40 may then be turned around a slate drum 44 to press the granules into the asphalt coating and to temporarily invert the substrate so that the excess granules will fall off and may be recovered and reused. While the granule coated substrate 40 is inverted, particles (backdust, sand, or other material) 110 (See FIG. 1) can be applied to the back surface of the shingle. These particles keeps the shingle from sticking to the manufacturing equipment illustrated by FIG. 28 and from sticking to adjacent shingles in a stack during shipment and storage.

In shingle configurations with an overlay and underlay substrate (such as is illustrated in FIG. 13), a pattern cutter 52 comprising an upper roller 56 and a lower roller 54 cuts the granule covered substrate 40 into a continuous underlay substrate 66 and a continuous overlay substrate 68. The underlay substrate 66 may be directed to be aligned beneath the overlay substrate 68, and the two substrates may be laminated together to form a continuous laminated assembly of substrates 70. Further downstream, the continuous laminated substrates 70 may cut by a rotary length cutter 72 that cuts the laminated substrate into individual laminated shingles 74.

In order to facilitate synchronization of the cutting and laminating steps, various sensors and controls may be employed. For example, sensors, such as photo eyes 84, 86 and 88 can be used to synchronize the continuous underlay substrate 66 with the continuous overlay substrate 68. Sensors 90 can also be used to synchronize any notches and cutouts formed in the continuous laminated substrates with the end cutter or length cutter 72.

In some exemplary embodiments, nailing reinforcement material may be attached to the shingle substrate 12 prior to the application of the asphalt coating, as shown at 19A in FIG. 28. The nailing reinforcement material 19A may be attached to the shingle substrate 12 by any suitable means, such as hot, melted asphalt, or other adhesives. In other exemplary embodiments, a nailing reinforcement material may be attached to the granule covered substrate 40, as shown at 19B in FIG. 28. The nailing reinforcement material 19B may be attached to the granule covered substrate 40 by any suitable means, such as hot, melted asphalt, or other adhesives.

In some exemplary embodiments, the adhesion promoting material and release materials are attached to a lower surface (downwardly facing as viewed in FIG. 7) of the substrate 12, the first asphalt coated substrate 18, the second asphalt coated substrate 22, or the granule covered substrate 40, as shown at 19C and 19D in FIG. 28 (i.e. before or after application of the granules and before application of the particles 110 on the back side of the shingle). The adhesion promoting material (i.e., 706 of FIG. 7) and release materials (i.e., 1306 of FIG. 13) may be attached to the first asphalt coated substrate 18, the second asphalt coated substrate 22, or the granule covered substrate 40 by any suitable means, such as hot, melted asphalt of the asphalt coated substrate 18, other adhesives, or suitable fasteners. In other exemplary embodiments, the adhesion promoting material is not a strip. For example, the adhesion promoting material and/or the release material can be applied in liquid and/or solid/powder form. In liquid form, the adhesion promoting material and/or the release material can be sprayed or rolled onto the substrate. In the solid/powder form, lanes of the adhesion promoting material and/or the release material can be dispensed onto the granule coated substrate 40 when the granule coated substrate is inverted, for example at drum 44. In one exemplary embodiment, the adhesion promoting material and/or the release material is provided on the substrate before particles and the particles does not stick to the adhesion promoting material and/or the release material. For example, the adhesion promoting material can be applied at the drum 44, at the position illustrated by reference character 19C, at the position illustrated by reference character 19D, or at any position before the substrate 40 is returned to the orientation where the granules are facing upward.

As shown in FIG. 29 which represents known methods of stacking shingles, laminated roofing shingles 2900 are stacked in a bundle 2902. Only a pair of such shingles 2900 are illustrated in FIG. 29, with every other shingle 2900 inverted and turned 180 degrees. It will be understood, however, that the shingles 2900 may be stacked such that every other of such shingles 2900 are either inverted or turned 180 degrees, or both. This stacking method minimizes uneven build in the bundle 2902 caused by the difference in thickness between the area of the shingle 2900 that includes the underlay substrate 102 and the area that does not include the underlay substrate 102. A problem may occur, however, along a central area 2908 of the bundle 2902 because central areas 2910 of the shingles 2900 are double-layered, whereas the cutout portions 2912 of the shingles 2900 adjacent the central areas 2910 are single-layered. The difference in thickness causes a ridge or hump 2914 along the central area 2908 of the bundle 2902 that becomes progressively higher as the number of shingles 2900 in the bundle 2902 increases.

FIG. 30 is a schematic sectional view of a representative pair of stacked shingles 3074 manufactured with a nailing reinforcement material (not visible). As shown in FIG. 25, the laminated roofing shingles 3074 are stacked such that every other of the shingles 3074 is inverted and turned 180 degrees relative to an adjacent one of the shingles 3074 to define a bundle 3099. It will be understood, however, that the shingles 3074 may be stacked such that every other of such shingles 3074 are either inverted or turned 180 degrees, or both. The bundle 3099 includes a central area 3092. In the illustrated embodiment, the central area 3092 includes the lower zones 3076A and nailing reinforcement material 414 of each shingle 3074 and includes the portion of each laminated roofing shingle 3074 wherein the shingle 3074 is double-layered. In contrast to the prior art shingles 2900, when the laminated shingles 3074 of the invention are stacked, the areas of the adjacent shingles 3074 having no granules, such as the areas covered by the nailing reinforcement material 414, cooperate to advantageously reduce humping in the central area 3092 of the bundle of stacked shingles 3074. As best shown in FIG. 30, the central area 3092 of the bundle, as represented by the pair of shingles 3074 illustrated, has a fourth height 114 substantially identical to a fifth height 115 of a remainder of the bundle outside of the central area 3092.

In addition to the bonding improvements illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9, a thicker bond enhancing material may be used in the stacking methods illustrated in FIGS. 29 and 30. The resulting flat bundles are more easily stacked and less likely to result in stacks that lean and fall over. Having the bond enhancing material (i.e., 706 of FIG. 7) which is thicker to enhance bonding also further reduces the humping in the central area of bundles of stacked shingles. This is illustrated in FIGS. 31A-31C. FIG. 31A illustrates a first shingle 3102 and a second shingle 3104 oriented such that the bottom surface (the side that faces the roof structure when installed) of the first shingle 3102 is facing the bottom surface of the second shingle 3104. FIG. 31B shows the first shingle 3102 and a second shingle 3104 in a position in which the bond enhancing material 706 is oriented such that is aligned with the release material (i.e., 1306 of FIG. 13) such that the adhesive (i.e., 1312 of FIG. 13) is prevented from adhering by the release material 1306. The result is a shingle stack that has a small gap at 3112 between the first shingle 3102 and a second shingle 3104. In practice, the second shingle 3104 flexes slightly to close the gap. However, the thickness of the bond enhancing material 706 holds the second shingle 3104 predominately flat. In arrangements without the bond enhancing material 706, the thickness of the shingles at 3112 could cause a slight “hump.” which is less than the prior art bundle 2902 and also the bundle 3099 illustrated in FIG. 30. The flat arrangement of FIG. 31B can be stacked into bundles that do not have any significant hump as illustrated in the stack 3114 of FIG. 31C. Thus, the arrangement of shingles illustrated is a significant improvement over shingles without a bond enhancing material that functions to keep the stacked and bundled shingles flat. The reduction of bundle humping can also reduce pressure points of stacked shingles along the common bond area where the upper edge of the underlay is bonded to the overlay. This reduction of pressure can reduce or eliminate sticking of stacked shingles to one another.

While various inventive aspects, concepts and features of the disclosures may be described and illustrated herein as embodied in combination in the exemplary embodiments, these various aspects, concepts and features may be used in many alternative embodiments, either individually or in various combinations and sub-combinations thereof. Unless expressly excluded herein all such combinations and sub-combinations are intended to be within the scope of the present application. Still further, while various alternative embodiments as to the various aspects, concepts and features of the disclosures—such as alternative materials, structures, configurations, methods, devices and components, alternatives as to form, fit and function, and so on—may be described herein, such descriptions are not intended to be a complete or exhaustive list of available alternative embodiments, whether presently known or later developed. Those skilled in the art may readily adopt one or more of the inventive aspects, concepts or features into additional embodiments and uses within the scope of the present application even if such embodiments are not expressly disclosed herein. Additionally, even though some features, concepts or aspects of the disclosures may be described herein as being a preferred arrangement or method, such description is not intended to suggest that such feature is required or necessary unless expressly so stated. Still further, exemplary or representative values and ranges may be included to assist in understanding the present application, however, such values and ranges are not to be construed in a limiting sense and are intended to be critical values or ranges only if so expressly stated. Moreover, while various aspects, features and concepts may be expressly identified herein as being inventive or forming part of a disclosure, such identification is not intended to be exclusive, but rather there may be inventive aspects, concepts and features that are fully described herein without being expressly identified as such or as part of a specific disclosure, the disclosures instead being set forth in the appended claims. Descriptions of exemplary methods or processes are not limited to inclusion of all steps as being required in all cases, nor is the order that the steps are presented to be construed as required or necessary unless expressly so stated. The words used in the claims have their full ordinary meanings and are not limited in any way by the description of the embodiments in the specification. 

1. A shingle comprising: an asphalt coated substrate; a first material strip applied on a top side of the substrate; granules disposed on a top side of the substrate which comprises the first material strip; a second material strip applied on a bottom side of the substrate and closer to a first edge than any other edge; and an adhesive applied to an exposed face of the second material strip.
 2. The shingle of claim 1, further comprising a third material strip applied on the bottom side of the substrate and closer to a second edge than any other edge, wherein the second edge is opposite and parallel to the first edge.
 3. The shingle of claim 2, wherein the third material strip comprises of a material to which the adhesive does not adhere.
 4. The shingle of claim 2, wherein the second material strip is located substantially the same distance from the first edge as the third material strip is located from the second edge.
 5. The shingle of claim 1, wherein the second material strip is formed from a material selected from the group consisting of: polyester, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyamide, polystyrene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyacrylonitrile, aramid, and combinations thereof.
 6. The shingle of claim 2, wherein the first material strip is located equidistant from the first edge and the second edge.
 7. The shingle of claim 6, wherein the second material strip is positioned such that when the shingle is installed on a roof to partially cover a previously installed shingle, the second material strip is operable to substantially overlap a first material strip of the previously installed shingle.
 8. The shingle of claim 7, wherein the second material strip has a thickness operable to cause the adhesive to contact the first material strip.
 9. A shingle comprising: an overlay comprising: an asphalt coated overlay substrate; a first material strip applied to a top surface of the overlay substrate; and granules disposed on the top surface of the overlay substrate; and an underlay comprising: an asphalt coated underlay substrate; granules disposed on a top surface of the underlay substrate; a second material strip applied on a bottom side of the underlay substrate closer to a first edge than any other edge of the underlay substrate; and an adhesive adhered to the second material strip.
 10. The shingle of claim 9, further comprising a third material strip applied on the bottom side of the overlay substrate and closer to a second edge of the overlay substrate than any other edge of the overlay substrate, wherein the second edge of the overlay substrate is opposite and parallel to a first edge of the overlay substrate.
 11. The shingle of claim 10, wherein the third material strip comprises a material to which the adhesive does not adhere.
 12. The shingle of claim 10, wherein the third material strip is comprised of a material to which the adhesive does not adhere.
 13. The shingle of claim 10, wherein the second material strip is located substantially the same distance from the first edge as the third material strip is located from the second edge.
 14. The shingle of claim 10, wherein the second material strip is formed from a material selected from the group consisting of: polyester, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyamide, polystyrene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyacrylonitrile, aramid, and combinations thereof.
 15. The shingle of claim 9, wherein the first material strip is located at point mid-way between the first edge and a second edge.
 16. The shingle of claim 9, wherein the second material strip is located such that when the shingle is installed on roof and partially covering a previously installed shingle, the second material strip substantially overlaps a first material strip of the previously installed shingle.
 17. The shingle of claim 16, wherein the second material strip is formed from a material with a thickness that causes the adhesive to make contact with the first material strip.
 18. A method of stacking shingles comprising: placing a first shingle in contact with a second shingle, the first shingle and the second shingle each having an upper face coated with granules, a lower face having a first material and a second material, and an adhesive applied to the second material; arranging the first and second shingles such that the first shingle and the second shingle are longitudinally aligned and the first shingle substantially covers the second shingle; orienting the first shingle such that its lower face is in contact with the lower face of the second shingle, and further orienting the first shingle so that its first material is in contact with the adhesive of the second material of the second shingle.
 19. The method of claim 18, further comprising arranging a third and fourth shingle in the manner of the first and second shingle; and placing the upper face of either the third or fourth shingle in contact with and longitudinally aligned with the upper face of either the first or second shingle.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the second material strip is formed from materials selected from the group consisting of: polyester, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyamide, polystyrene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyacrylonitrile, aramid, and combinations thereof. 